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Deals on wheels

European car manufacturers have promised to cut carbon dioxide emissions from
new models by 25 per cent. The voluntary agreement, negotiated by the European
Commission, means that by 2008 new cars will have to emit an average of 140
grams of CO2 per kilometre, compared with 186 grams for today’s
cars.

The commission originally wanted a 40 per cent cut in CO2 emissions(This Week, 25 April, p 18),
and environmentalists doubt that the deal will be
effective. They say the only way to reduce emissions is to raise taxes on
fuel.